I know a few 80+ year-old SeaBees that could still have a word or three with him

My father fought in the pacific in WWII. He went to college in the fall of 1941. He was paying his own way through college, so happily signed up for a neat course that didn't cost anything but gave him college credits. The course was to teach you to fly. On December 7, my father realized why the US government would be willing to pick up part of his college tuition.

He served 22 months in the pacific flaying off carriers and islands (e.g. Bouganville). After those 22 months, he returned as a lt. commander and taught new pilots at Pennsacola. He doesn't talk much about his experience, but he did relate this story to me once.

He was flying over Raboul and no zeros were coming up to play. So while puttering around, he came across a scene of 3 Japanese soldiers herding some cows. Being a 20 year old kid from the country in a high performance fighter with a bunch of 0.50 caliber machine guns, he did the natural thing. He swooped down to shoot up the herd and the soldiers. The herd was coming up to a bridge, got a bit tangled up when they stampeded and apparently my Dad did a number on them.

When he started back, he remembered that he had gun cameras that took a picture when his guns fired. It was supposed to allow them to know after he returned if he had hit what he was shooting at. Since he had expended ammunition, they would routinely develop the film and see a picture of a bunch of cows looking back. That might not go over so well with his superiors.

So my Dad landed and filled out his after action report. He used phrases like "interdicted enemy supply lines" and "pressed the attack against ground fire" (the soldiers had fired their rifles at his plane traveling several hundred miles per hour over their head). It apparently all sounded very impressive. Then they took a look at the film. They could match what he had reported to the film, but the words took on a very different meaning when viewed in conjunction with the film.
The end of the story is he didn't get into trouble with his bosses. But the next day when he went to get into his plane, he found his ground crew had painted twenty udders on his plane to indicate he had become an 'ace' against cows.

So Mr. Carroll left off the part about WWII pacific veterans not being treating animals ethically.

[gritted teeth] If I were to meet Carroll in person, I'd break his nose, and happily take whatever misdemeanor fine was levied.

How does such a human being who both can read and write be so unmindful of history? And so morally obtuse?

insurgents whose only casus belli is the presence of American troops.

What??? For the love of God, does this guy honestly think APPEASING the great fascist Islamist kings by saying after WTC '93, Cole, African Embassies, Hebrew University, and 9/11 "thank you sir, may I have another?" That they would STOP??

I have this great idea for stopping muggings...cause we all know muggings are NOT the responsibility of the muggers, just the muggees. Make people poor. No money or valuables to tempt muggers and all will be butterflies and pink bunnies with the world.

Mr Carroll proves that all of the insane are not in an institution. They are a long way from locking them all up, they can't, it would destroy the dimwit party.

Thank God I have James Carroll to let me know that I have it all wrong when it comes to my grandfather, a submarine veteran of the Pacific Theatre in WWII. I always thought of him as a hero. Fortunately, Carrol has cleared up this misunderstanding for me. Apparently, my grandfather was not a hero, and if you follow Carroll’s logic, he was also likely a coward, since he served in submarines, a platform that had a sneaky advantage over poor, unsuspecting surface vessels.

He died of old age (95) and alzheimers two years ago. I hold his legacy in high regard. How nice of James Carroll to use the occasion of Independence Day, my grandfather’s birthday, incedentally, to piss all over his grave.

Well, there goes my blood pressure. Pity we don't have a time machine handy to drop this asshat on Henderson Field during a banzai charge...

I have always thought it shameful that the allies made mistakes while conducting WW2.

When you look back you see massive casualties, lack of body armor, poor weapons made by arms merchants, intolerance towards Nazi cultural identity.

The Pacific action was worse - millions died because we insisted the Japanese abandon their ethnic tradition of never surrendering. We could have stopped offensive operations once we felt secure. Then a tea ceremony would have helped both sides begin the healing.

I guess he never heard of Chesty Puller. winner of 5 silver stars. beat the japs off gaudacanal,peliliu,&sipan.got surrounded by 5 chinese divisions in korea and said got em right where we want em they can't get away